In Depth

Cross in Bennington

By Justin Katz | December 22, 2004 | Comments Off on Cross in Bennington

Given current jurisprudence, this is surely the prudent action: BENNINGTON — Officials at the Vermont Veterans Home were ordered to take down a red, white and blue lighted cross Wednesday after trustees decided it is illegal at a state-owned facility. … Employees had put the large cross, strung with patriotic colored lights, atop a gazebo…

One Solitary Life

By | December 22, 2004 | Comments Off on One Solitary Life

My family enjoyed the annual Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular show this week for the third year in a row – this time in Boston. They always end the show with a live nativity scene and a slightly modified version of the attached story, which I thought was worth sharing in its modified form…

Pigs at the Public Trough

By | December 21, 2004 |

Andrew Ferguson of the Weekly Standard takes a fascinating look at the previously behind-the-scenes activities of a lobbyist in Washington, D.C. in an article entitled “A Lobbyist’s Progress: Jack Abramoff and the end of the Republican Revolution.” Here is how the story begins: In honor of the tenth anniversary of the fabled Republican Revolution–for precisely…

RE: Unprincipled, Undemocratic Behavior

By Marc Comtois | December 21, 2004 | Comments Off on RE: Unprincipled, Undemocratic Behavior

Also of interest in Achorn’s piece was the possibility of a potential quid pro quo between Montalbano and Murphy and Chief Justice Frank J. Williams. For some time, Williams had advocated that executive oversight, ie. the Governor, be removed with regards to the day-to-day operations (firings, hirings, raises, etc.) of the judicial branch. Interestingly, the…

Unprincipled, Undemocratic Behavior

By | December 21, 2004 | Comments Off on Unprincipled, Undemocratic Behavior

Ed Achorn of the Providence Journal has published an important editorial in today’s paper that highlights how Rhode Island House Speaker William Murphy and Senate President Joseph Montalbano are, in Ed’s words, “boldly trying to nullify the [78%] landslide vote of November 2” for a constitutional amendment that brings separation of powers to the state.…

The Naked Public Square Revisited, Part III

By Donald B. Hawthorne | December 21, 2004 | Comments Off on The Naked Public Square Revisited, Part III

After pulling together the two previous postings of The Naked Public Square Revisited, Parts I & II, I returned home this weekend to find the December 27 issue of National Review with its cover article entitled “Secularism & Its Discontents.” In the article, Ramesh Ponnuru offers some further insights into the debate about the public…

RE:Understand the UN!

By Marc Comtois | December 20, 2004 | Comments Off on RE:Understand the UN!

I heartily recommend reading Andrew’s

Independently Moderate

By Marc Comtois | December 20, 2004 |

In a story by Howard Fineman, Mitch McConnell casts the current political “divisiveness” in its proper historical context: “It’s naive to assume there would be one collection of views widely held by everyone,” he said. “I’m amazed at all this hand-wringing over the level of discourse and partisanship. It leads me to believe nobody has…

Understand the UN!

By Carroll Andrew Morse | December 20, 2004 | Comments Off on Understand the UN!

If you would like to understand why the United Nations is not nearly as ineffective as you first might think, check out my latest article over at TechCentralStation.

Institutions Under Siege

By Justin Katz | December 20, 2004 |

Having read “Hendricken administrator arrested on indecent solicitation charge” in the Providence Journal, I think I’d have written the headline somewhat differently. This sounds most newsworthy as a success story. The relevant information comes in paragraphs seven through ten of the fourteen-paragraph piece: Sheldon had been placed on paid administrative leave from the school last…